Researchers at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (USA) have evaluated the use of a temperature tracking device, tempTraq for monitoring body temperature of children suffering with hematologic malignancies. The study was published in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer.
It is vital to constantly monitor the temperature of children with blood cancers. These patients have a week immune system, and hence, any elevation in the body temperature is indicative of infection which needs to be treated at the earliest possibility.
Sung Won Choi, MD, MS, professor of paediatrics at University of Michigan and Muneesh Tewari, MD, PhD, professor of internal medicine and biomedical engineering at University of Michigan, and colleagues have evaluated the efficacy of tempTraq. It is a small device with an adhesive patch that measures body temperature every 2 minutes for a week.
The researchers used the device to track temperature of three children who were getting care at home. In two cases, the device was able to detect temperature which was not shown by the regular thermometer. The timely detection of the fever aided in taking these children to ER where it was found that they had serious blood stream infections and were treated with antibiotics. The third case was an infant where the use of this device made it easier to follow up the temperature regularly.
In conclusion, such a wearable device will aid in frequent monitoring of temperature at home and be able to reduce the risk of serious infections.
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